Shoes - what kind and where from?

[MarcLister]

My current shoes, skaters I think, are wearing out on the heel. I need some new ones. What kind of shoes should I be looking for? This is for casual btw so trainers not smart shoes. I have size 12 feet in terms of length but size 13 in terms of width so a size 12 shoe is the right length but too tight on the width while a size 13 shoe is too long but just right on the width. Hence my skater shoes which are size 12 but a little wider.

Can anyone recommend a certain type of shoe? I'd quite like something comfortable so I was thinking of a decent pair of those Merrell casual boot thingys?

 

[Northerner]

I've got a couple of pairs of merrils, some very lightweight ones and some more heavy duty. Both are very comfortable! However, I have the opposite type of feet, mine are very narrow with high arches, size 9. I've also got one foot longer than the other so have to buy to cater for the bigger foot!🙂

 

[MarcLister]

Hmm another diabetic trend? Weird feet sizes? 😛

So Merrells are nice and comfortable? I'd like a pair of casual shoes I can walk about in but not feel like I've been hiking when I take them off. Just need to find somewhere that sells Merrells that I can get to. 🙂

 

[Copepod]

Just find a shop where you can try on shoes - preferably in the afternoon as feet swell through the day. I find Cotswold Outdoor shops are particularly good, as each one has at least one foot specialist - St Albans is probably the nearest to Leighton Buzzard. No, I don't work for them, but know several staff through adventure racing.
New Balance running shoes / trainerss are worth considering, as they come in 2 widths for each size.

 

[kojack]

I have used lightweight Clarks shoes. Both long enough and wide enough but light.
I think most folk have different size feet - usually the extra half size on one foot.

 

[MarcLister]

Just find a shop where you can try on shoes - preferably in the afternoon as feet swell through the day. I find Cotswold Outdoor shops are particularly good, as each one has at least one foot specialist - St Albans is probably the nearest to Leighton Buzzard. No, I don't work for them, but know several staff through adventure racing.
New Balance running shoes / trainerss are worth considering, as they come in 2 widths for each size.

You know this area well then? 😉 Just checked their site and St Albans is indeed the nearest. Also noticed they have shops in Betws-y-Coed. 🙂 Went there on a school trip in 2002 I think. Lovely town.

Good shout on the foot specialist though. Now I'm a type 1er I'd want some decent professional advice on shoes from now on. 😎

I have used lightweight Clarks shoes. Both long enough and wide enough but light.
I think most folk have different size feet - usually the extra half size on one foot.

Got a Clarks in town. 🙂

 

[Copepod]

I just know roughly where Leighton Buzzard is, then looked on Cotswold Outdoor website. But never been to your town - much prefer Betws-y-Coed area, where one of the Cotswold shops sells reduced price items, so always worth a look. Unfortunately, currently based in East Anglia - hence how I describe my location.
Hope you find some suitable shoes - it's important for everyone to get well fitted shoes, but even more so if you have diabetes, particularly if you have any degree of periferal neuropathy.

 

[MarcLister]

I had read your location and wondered if you were near me. They do say that Leighton Buzzard is about as far from the sea as you can get in the UK.

 

[carolyn]

Hi marclister, used to live in milton keynes so know leyton buzzard, used to go shopping there. If I remember there is a pub called the globe which does lovely pub grub.
________
Essential vaaapp

 

[Caroline Wilson]

I get my shoes from Cosy Feet. (www.cosyfeet.co.uk) You'd need to contact them to see if there is store near you. They are very helpful and I never have problems with them. Unfortunatly all the shoe shops near me sell womens shoes that you need a ladder to get into and come with six weeks supply of vertigo pi;;s!

 

[MarcLister]

Hi marclister, used to live in milton keynes so know leyton buzzard, used to go shopping there. If I remember there is a pub called the globe which does lovely pub grub.

Yup. Haven't been there in years. Quite expensive I think.

I get my shoes from Cosy Feet. (www.cosyfeet.co.uk) You'd need to contact them to see if there is store near you. They are very helpful and I never have problems with them. Unfortunatly all the shoe shops near me sell womens shoes that you need a ladder to get into and come with six weeks supply of vertigo pi;;s!

As it happens I don't have that problem. Being a man that is!

 

[Copepod]

centre of England?

I had read your location and wondered if you were near me. They do say that Leighton Buzzard is about as far from the sea as you can get in the UK.

I grew up in Birmingham, near to Meriden village, which claimed to be the centre of England - see http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/2271925.stm - centre of GB ould be considerably further north, centre of UK towards Northern Ireland. Meriden had a memorial to cyclists who'd died in World Wars, so it was a location for cyclists to visit - see http://www.meriden-festival.org.uk/cyclists_memorial.html . As a teenager, it seemed slightly odd to be a Sea Ranger in Birmingham, one of 3 crews, in fact.

But where I live is too far from anything hill-like or the sea! Best location for me was Tyneside - particularly the year I spent lodging in Tynemouth, so I could see the sea out of my bedroom window, and swim / body board in the sea (in a wetsuit!) on a sunny evening, plus not too far to get into Pennines, Lake District, Pentland Hills etc.

 

[MarcLister]

But where I live is too far from anything hill-like or the sea! Best location for me was Tyneside - particularly the year I spent lodging in Tynemouth, so I could see the sea out of my bedroom window, and swim / body board in the sea (in a wetsuit!) on a sunny evening, plus not too far to get into Pennines, Lake District, Pentland Hills etc.

You lucky sod! 😎

 

[MarcLister]

Done some research and Cotswold Outdoors charge ?73.40 online for the Merrell Chameleon Iso, which looks nice and appears to be for general use.

FieldAndTrek.com sell it for ?55. They only have up to size 12 whereas Cotswold Outdoors go up to size 14. Being an active shoe, would the size 12 be a little wider than normal size 12 shoes and trainers? I'd like to be able to buy online if I could otherwise I've got to pester Mum into driving me to St Albans or get on the train and head for London to Cotswold Outdoors Covent Garden or Piccadilly stores.

 

[kojack]

I think if possible where footwear is concerned IMHO I would want to feel them and try them on and make sure they were comfortable.
Some things on line, even with good return policies, I would avoid.

 

[MarcLister]

I would tend to agree with you there. Need to work out whether I pester Mum to take me to St Albans or get on the train for London.

 

[Copepod]

Hi Marc
Unless you've worn Merrell shoes before and are happy you understand their sizing, I would definitely recommend trying on a pair before buying. It's not so much that "active" shoes have different fits, as much as each brand has its own, slightly different sizing system. If you try on a pair and are happy with the sizing, then you can always buy online next time - sizing system probably won't change within a brand, although styles may. Sometimes using European sizes helps a bit to be more precise with lengths (eg 40 Euro = approx 6 UK), but that doesn't help with widths - some brands are simply wider than others, although generally women's shoes are narrower than men's - although women's sizes are usually only available up to size 8 UK, or even less, whoch doesn't apply to you.
Good luck. Covent Garden has a very high conentration of outdoor shops, including Ellis Brigham, Cotswold Outdoor etc, so you are almost certain to find something suitable there.

 

[MarcLister]

I know there is a Milletts at the MK Shopping Centre and I've seen Merrell shoes in there. Might try them out and perhaps also the Xscape place for shoes before heading off to St Albans or London. Much easier for me to get to MK on my own than London on the train or St Albans with Mum.